There's One Thing Every Conjuring Movie Does Better Than Last Rites

This post contains spoilers for "The Conjuring: Last Rites."

The pressure is always on for the last film in a franchise. Fans hope that the series they've spent so much time with goes out with a bang rather than a whimper. Thankfully, in the case of Michael Chaves' "The Conjuring: The Last Rites," the final case for Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) does enough to earn a spot among the better half of the ghost stories threaded within "The Conjuring" universe that has spanned the last 12 years. That's not to say that there aren't some cracks in the walls of Chaves' final round with the Warrens and floorboards that aren't creaking in the fun and frightening way we'd prefer. Even with all the interesting new scares alongside the ones that are paying horrifying homage to what came before, "Last Rites" has one glaring issue that the previous films didn't.

Excluding the spin-offs, every family that Ed and Lorraine have come in contact with up until now has been a compelling bunch. The time spent with them before our paranormal investigators show up on their doorstep is where the tension always resides, letting us sit and stew with these unfortunate souls who are having their homes wrecked by spirits before the happy couple arrives to cast them out. However, the problem with the Smurls, who are struggling with the supernatural in this sequel, is that they're one of the most forgettable families in the entire franchise.

There's a powerful scene in James Wan's 2013 film "The Conjuring" that reveals more about the horror that film's Perron family are enduring than any ghostly presence does. When the Warrens enter the home, it's clear on their faces just how long they've endured this nightmare, as they don't look like they've had an hour of sleep between them. Carrying bags under their eyes and living on a knife's edge, this hits because of the time we've spent with them beforehand, getting to know each family member that makes their ghost story so compelling. That's an approach that was frequently used in subsequent films, but is totally absent in "Last Rites."

Very little time is spent with the Smurls, who are practically indistinguishable from each other — especially the children. When ghosts do appear, we're too focused on what is making noise in the night to care about who it's happening to, as they seem like placeholders until the Warrens arrive. After that, the Smurls take a backseat while the ghost-hunting family gets to work; we also get to know Judy's then-fiancé, Tony Spera (Ben Hardy). That's because this final film focuses on the family the franchise was built on, and watching the same kind of love blossoming between Jane and Tom which has existed between Ed and Lorraine from the beginning. Ultimately, "Last Rites" can be forgiven for keeping things more Warren-centric, but the film may have been even better if the family being haunted received a bit more attention.

"The Conjuring: Last Rites" is in theaters now.